Fabien Jouves & Christophe Kaczmarek

Where the Quercy meets the Cahors – a terroir as unique as its wines

The grapes used for their wine project come from Fabien Jouves vineyard “Mas del Périé” located in the high hills, right on the boarder of the Quercy and the Cahors region, in South-West France. Visitors to Fabien Jouves vineyards are met with lush, rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the climate is shaped by these large bodies of water with hot summers and humid winters.  The proximity to the Massif Central accounts for frosty drops in temperatures in winter, alleviated only by the river Lot, which winds its way along the foothills of vine covered slopes. The gravel terraces along the Lot and the Causse, a limestone plateau provide the vines with versatile soil and a multitude of trace minerals. Nature created here a combination of micro-climate and soil so perfect for wine-growing, we almost believe it is fate and not just lucky coincidence

The “Mas del Périé” vineyard

In 2006, Fabien Jouves decided to continue his family’s legacy by taking over the “Mas del Périé” vineyard. However, he is anything but a traditionalist.  He has brought the 20 hectares of vineyard to new heights and international recognition by introducing a refreshingly young, contemporary, unconventional and dynamic style to both the work in the vineyards and the cellar. The passionate young man cultivates his land organically (certifired by Ecocert) and biodynamically (certified by Demeter and Biodyvin).

The Malbec is the king of the grapes in the Cahors.  By dedicating several hectares of his land to it he honors his region’s tradition. But almighty the Malbec is, as passionate and ever-curious “artisan-vigneron” you want more. So, of course there are also other grape varieties to be found in the “Mas del Périé” estate such as Merlot, Tannat, Petit/ Gros Manseng, Ugni Blanc Muscat d’Alexandrie, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Chardonnay, Semillon Blanc, Chenin and Colombard. All of them are hand-harvested and turned into exquisite natural wines on the estate, ranging from traditional to unconventional.

From traditional to experimental – a wine for every taste bud

Fabien Jouves has several “lines” and therefore is able to cater to each and every taste bud. With his “Vins de Terroir”, wines of the region, he pays tribute to the grapes which are traditionally home to the Cahors, thus single variety red Malbecs, white Chenins and Mansengs.  Then there are his “Vins de soif” which in English would be the thirst-quenching wines, characterized by their pleasantness and freshness. The “OVNI” are his experimental “UFO” wines which boast surprising, sometimes “alien” flavors, ranging from funky fruitful to experimental with animal notes. We handpicked three of his natural wines which he produced together with his friend Christophe Kaczmarek and which we believe are exemplary of their combined skill in the cellar and the vineyard.

The cellar – wines with personalities

Wines have personalities, just like people. They can be full of temperament, quiet or even dull. They can be steady or volatile. And they can age well or not so….  Fabien Jouves pays great attention to his wines’ personalities and ferments them accordingly in concrete or stainless steel vats, barrels or casks. Jouves, sometimes brakes with traditions, foregoing the oak barrel for the Malbec for instance and using concrete instead, which alleviates the wines of their heavy tannins without loss of depth and character.  Jouves likes to experiment with different methods from traditional such as “Saignée” (bleeding method), to short or longer macerations. He foregoes filtration and believes in honoring the terroir and the wines character by doing without the tricks from the oenological chemistry set, apart from the occasional and very little use of sulfur. His wines are pure, low intervention, high quality natural wines which speak of their makers know-how and artistry. It is not surprising that the natural wines that leave his cellar are loved across the entire globe and can be found in as far away destinations as South East Asia or Australia.

Jouves & Kaczmarek – a dream team

Clear the stage for cuvée “Atomic Caaaaaaat” and “Sado Merlot” and the single varietal “Liasion Dangereuse”. We couldn’t be more enthused the two friends Jouves and Kaczmarek decided to make wine together, because we now get to enjoy the superb outcome. The unorthodox labels are indicative of their content, so please don’t expect “normal” when two young, unconventional entrepreneurs put their heads together. Expect extraordinary!

Fabien Jouves website